Row as new FMD strain in UK 'is same as last

Fears of “enormous economic consequences” for the livestock industry have been raised as tests indicate the virus strain in the latest foot-and-mouth outbreak is the same as that which infected two herds last month.

Chief veterinary officer Debby Reynolds said the strain infecting cattle near Egham, Surrey, was “generally” the same as the one which caused the August outbreak near Pirbright, some 10 miles away.

As culling on farmland near Egham continued, Dr Reynolds said an epidemiological investigation was looking at whether the disease had spread through animals, vehicle movements or environmental contamination.

The Government has denied that Ms Reynolds was pressurised into giving the all-clear too early after the last outbreak, which was blamed on leaking pipework at Pirbright laboratory site.

Surrey was were declared free of foot and mouth, along with the rest of the UK, last Friday, just days before the disease emerged again.

But shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth said that the matter “does raise further questions about why the Government felt able to declare that foot-and-mouth disease had been ’eradicated’. This was clearly a tragic misjudgement”.

Speaking after a meeting with the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, National Farmers’ Union president Peter Kendall said it was apparent that they “share the real state of despair that this has occurred”.

But he warned the situation was “so much worse than last time” because it came at a key time of year for the livestock industry.

Mr Kendall told BBC News 24 he was well aware of the “in-depth analysis” taken before the previous restrictions were lifted but added: “If the science turns out that things could have been done differently, we will have to learn from that.”

He also said the new restrictions would have “enormous economic consequences” for the already struggling livestock industry.

The area involved in the current outbreak is grazing land attached to Milton Park Farm, with the animals there belonging to Robert Lawrence who owns another farm, Hardwick Park Farm.

The cattle were culled as a precaution following symptoms of the highly infectious disease.

A second “precautionary” cull of animals on Stroude Farm, owned by Ernest Ward has taken place.

Mr Ward’s son, Steven Ward, confirmed that 800 pigs and 40 cattle were being culled at the farm.

“The pigs are healthy, it’s a precautionary cull. It’s devastating, but you’re dealt the cards you’re dealt and that’s it.”

Farmer and retired vet Carl Boyde owns Hardwick Court Farm just 300 yards from Rob Lawrence’s property and was awaiting news from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) about his herd of 10 cows.

He said that Mr Lawrence has spent the day touring the five sites in the nearby countryside where he keeps his heard of 350 cattle.

The herd from Milton Park Farm, who were diagnosed with the disease, were shot on Wednesday but valuers were estimating the cost of Mr Lawrence’s remaining livestock before they were culled, said Mr Boyde.

He said of the news that the strain that infected Mr Lawrence’s cattle was the same as the strain behind the outbreak at Pirbright, that: “At least it means we haven’t got a fresh source. But it makes you wonder where has it been hiding.”

The Soil Association urged the government to deploy a strategic vaccination scheme to create a “firebreak” around the latest outbreak to stop its spread.